Session 10. 1/3 NL 6.75 hours

Swingy session. Really tested my levels of tilt and self control today. I think I maintained my composure and hope that by taking a break and getting my mental game back in focus I will do better next time my fortitude is tested.

Some hands:

Hand 1 1/3 NL
Vil is a MAWG. Calls too much preflop it seems. Havent seen many showdowns. $260 effective.

Hero mid position 77 raise to $10. only Big Blind calls.
pot $20 K T 8

Vil checks. Hero checks. - Could take a stab here but he could easily be checking Kx here and doubt he would fold any piece of this board.

Turn: 7 Vil leads $10. Weird lead and I make a concealed set. Hero Raises to $40. Vil Raises to $95.

Hero?

Results:

Hand 2: $350 effective.

Drunk player sits down on my right. He brings lots of chips and has everyone covered. He is here to gamble but isnt just throwing money around. Despite his inebriation, he is making reads and has made some bluffs and good laydowns.

Hero EP A T raise to $15 Sb calls. BB drunk Vil calls.
pot $45.
Flop T 95
C, C. Hero 30. Only BB calls.
pot $105

Turn: 3 C. Hero decides to get 2 streets here from this vil with this hand. $60. Vil check raises to $200
Hero?

Results:

Hand 3 $300 effective
Same Drunk Vil as before. He is straddling often now and giving more action as night is going on. Table is noticeably tighter trying to wait for hands to stack Vil
Vil straddles UTG $6.
Hero next to act 87 Hero raises to $15 to get into pot with Vil. Only Vil calls straddle.

pot $34
Vil bets $15 in the dark. (He has not done this yet this session)
Flop: A 6 3

I dont see much option here besides calling. I dont think a raise will make Vil fold nor will i get value. Hero calls.

Pot $64.
Vil bets $30 in the dark.

Turn T Again same as the flop. I pick up gutshot to go along with my flush draw. Vil has a sort of draw or TP or big pair that he just wants to get to showdown with. I dont see much option here but to call again.

Pot $124.

Vil bets $60 in the dark.

River: 9 Hero makes flush. Hero raises to $200. Vil turbo calls.

Results:

Not sure how to feel about this hand. As played there isnt much option apart from river. After some retrospection I do need to tighten up in the early positions, I am playing too many suited connectors and its getting me into trouble. FLush or flush / straight over straight is expensive and I am not good enough player to have such a weak hand and play OOP.

Just skmmed a bunch of hands. It looks like you are getting better at knowing you need to fold a lot of hands to be a winner at these stakes. Good thing I noticed is that you are learning how to fold good to great hands in spots you need to be. The bad is you are way way too loose preflop. You will lose so much money open raising A10o from early and middle position in these games. Or completing with 78o oop. Tighten up preflop. Then spend all your time at the table trying to put players on hands. All of them on every street in every hand.. And then when you get to a showdown it becomes a game. Were you correct in your thinking. Pretty soon you can predict 9/10 showdowns. Who wins, who loses. What they have. It is almost as fun as being in the hand itself. You wont get rewarded with showdowns every hand, but every hand that shows down…..thats what it is. A reward. It gives you info on them, but more importantly builds your confidence and ability in your hand reading skills

9.1 ATo

Honestly, I mostly dump ATo preflop unless I'm in LP, and I especially dislike building a bloated multiway pot with it, but that's me. Think I probably lean to a cbet although I don't despise a check. I'm also calling when aggro guy bets (although it is sucky cuz now we're mostly playing for a chop), and I also fold to the raise behind me.

9.2 87cc

I also complete preflop. I either donk large or check/raise the flop. I also bet large on the turn. I probably bet slightly smaller on the river targetting mostly Adx. Nice hand, imo.

9.3 AA

I limp in but that's my style. I think overall we're likely building too big of a pot still multiway by the turn. Crappy river spot. I mean, we're getting 4:1 and every draw busted, but KQ is obviously in play. Might have to make a crying call against all but the most nitty / non-bluffy.

9.4 TT

I limp in but again that's my style. Fine with checking this flop. I think raising the turn is probably overplaying slightly. Think I'm ok with a nitty check on the river.

GcluelessNLnoobG

I'll fully admit: my focus is getting worse and worse. I'm not sure if that's a function of aging, or the fact I'm purely recreational and enjoying the social aspect, or whether I already have a book on a lot of people / otherwise group them into population tendencies, or what. Definitely one of my bigger leaks right now.

GcluelessfocusnoobG

10.1 77

I just limp in but our small raise somehow got this HU in position with initiative, so awesum if that is expected. I'm ok with a check back. Turn is really villain and image dependent, imo. Honestly, with my nitty image, bottom set is rarely going to be good here against anyone with half a clue (also note I think you forgot to include made straights in his range); against people who are clueless and overplayee, it's more fine.

10.2 ATo

I fold ATo (and even AJo) in EP but that's me. I'm fine with the cbet. If we're going for just 2 postflop streets of value (which is fine, imo), then I think a better play is to check back the turn to ensure we showdown / induce bluffs / induce overvalues. If betting, I think we have to sigh fold now.

10.3 87cc

Based on a couple of your EP small raises getting things HU in position, your game just simply plays a lot differently than mine. So if a raise is going to isolate our target a big percentage of the time, then I'm not going to hate. But it's never going to work in my loose 10 handed game, so for me it's a trivial fold preflop. I'm assuming you lost to JTcc, but I'm ok with how you played it postflop (although I think there are arguments for getting more aggro at some point if you think he has a weak hand and can fold it, although that is debatable).

ETA: And looks like you've already self-identified what Larry/me have also noticed, in that you seem a little too loose preflop in EP. The more expert you are, the more you may be able to get away with this. But the less expert you are, the more you probably won't be able to.

Gthanksforpostinghandstokeepmypokerbrainactiveinbe tweensessions,lol!G

Session 11 1/3 NL

Many swings this session. I seem to get stuck early in session and then have to catch up to break even and hope to get a profit. I have been getting min raised more often both preflop and postflop. Its very strange.

Onto some hands:

Hand 1
Vil is a young guy with headphones who I see often grinding.
$300 Effective

Hero UTG A A $15. Vil calls mp

pot $34

flop Q T 9

Hero checks Vil checks I feel like pot controlling here oop . hand is very under represented Betting and getting c/raised here would put me in a bad spot. I plan on 1street value?

Turn: 6 Hero checks Vil bets $20. Hero calls? Continuing with plan to pot control and see a river.

Pot $74.

River: 4 Hero checks. Vil bets $35 Hero calls. I had an inkling here to raise river. The bet sizing and bets seem like a 1 pair hand like KQ, AQ etc. Too ambitious?

Results:

Thoughts?


Hand 2:

Lately lots of opponents are min raising preflop. Seems to always be a strong hand afraid of losing action. But I havent seen many showdowns to range this accurately. Others experiences?
6 handed $300
Hero UTG AQ Lady UTG plus 1 (middle aged woman new to table). min raise to $30. folds to hero who calls?
I hate calling here but the odds make no other decision possible. Planning on proceeding with caution.
pot $30

flop: K J 6

Hero checks. Lady checks.
Pot $60.

Turn: K Hero takes a stab $30. Lady min raises me to $60. I fold.

Results:


Hand 3

Vil is middle aged guy who can get very aggressive. I suspect he is playing back at me and bluffing more than the table thinks he is. He can C bet with missed overcards. Not sure about double barrels or triple barrels with air. $300 Effective

He opens $15. Small blind calls. Hero Big blind TT calls.

Pot $45.

flop 7 7 4

SB checks. Hero checks. Vil bets $25. SB folds. Hero calls? Feels like a good hand to bluff catch with. Not alot of desire to play a huge pot OOP. Anyone raise here?

Pot $95.

Turn: 8 Hero checks. Vil bets $50. Hero calls/

Pot $195.

River Q Hero checks. Vil checks.

Results:

I am under no illusions that I am an expert by any means. But I am looking forward to when I am able / comfortable to add more hands and get a wider range preflop. It seems to be tougher for opponents to deal with. But for now tightening up seems to be the best move. Thanks for the thoughts!

Hand 1, lead turn
Hand 2, no hands you beat after the flop. I would call preflop and check flop. Also checking turn, not a spot I want to stab vs this demographic of player
Hand 3, 3b preflop to $60. As played looks fine, never raising

11.1 AA

I limp preflop in my game but in your game open raises seems to get things HU all the time, so fair enough. I like our postflop tarpy / pot controlling / inducing / not-playing-our-hand-face-up-on-the-table / not the greatest of flops / don't want to face a raise OOP / etc. postflop line against a headphones guy, nice, imo. The more aggrotard your image is, the more you can just bet/bet/bet, but the more nitty your image is the more this line is fine (my guess is your image falls somewhere inbetween but I have a super nitty one to deal with so a passive line can often get max value from those with half a clue).

11.2 AQhh

Are your tables often short? I prefer 10 handed tables but that just suits my style / method / etc. well. So I don't have any real shorthanded experience, but...

I limp in (admittedly, this play is far better at 10 handed tables than 6 handed ones). I think I make a nitty fold to the minraise with this hand. In spite of good immediate odds, it's RIO vs IO OOP postflop really suck against a typical tight 3betting range. We're most likely being tarped on the flop so I'm not falling for it and just check/fold the turn; about the only hand we're targeting here is QQ (which we block combos of plus they are never folding to a single turn bet).

11.3

Think I'm fine with the whole hand. Depending on how full a table / how raisey he is in EP there is some argument for a 3bet preflop but I think flatting is likely fine too.

GcluelessNLnoobG

Larry, With the Aces you want to lead turn presumably for value. If called are you also leading river? Generally for what sizing on turn and river? half pot?

They are usually short at some capacity. Floors are very slow at filling empty seats. So often table is short handed with people walking around, getting food, knocked out, etc. So its a constant evaluation of changing positions and closing up ranges or opening them up due to a shorter table.

Session 12 8.5 hours. 1/3 NL

Another very swingy session. I struggled at tables to maintain my composure and had to take several breaks mid session to calm myself down and ensure I was playing "solid" poker. The breaks helped quite a bit. Despite not having a massive tilt issue, I did play several hands in a poor manner upon retrospection. Always something to improve upon!

I had some tough spots with flopping Top pair and having to make a big flop decision or turn decision whether to play for stacks. See hands below:


Hand 1: $300 Effective

2 limpers. Next to act makes it $26 - newer middle aged guy seems to be recreation. Hero next to act KQ. calls? Tighter grinder regular BB calls.

Pot $79. - I considered 3 betting here or folding. Its such a big raise and not normal to what the opening size was of 10-16 pre. A 3 bet would certainly isolate but may face danger of 4 bet in which i would forfeit my equity. I expect BB to play very faceup especially OOP Mostly big face cards, pairs. Not alot of suited connectors due to SPR.

Flop: K 8 8

BB checks. Original raiser bets $100. Hero?

Results: [SPOIL] This overbet is never a bluff here. I fear AK, AA given the huge size, he doesnt want to see another card. I make hard fold especially with BB behind me to act. BB check raises AI. Original raiser snap calls. BB has A Q Original raiser has AA I make a good fold. But do i find a fold preflop? /SPOIL]

Hand 2: 1/3 NL $600 effective.
Table is very very deep. I am out of my comfort zone.

Hero UTG A 5 Raises to $10. tighter regular from Hand 1 3 bets me to $30. folds to hero. Hero 4 bet bluffs here to $120. I know this Vil can fold. If he has KK or AA I expect to get 5 bet and I can fold. I do think i have a fair amount of fold equity here. He has told me he thinks I am a tight solid player and he "respects" my play.

Results:

Hand 3: 1/3 NL $400 effective
Vil is a older white male. He has been far more active than an OMC. Playing his good hands with 3 bets and raises pre. he is winning a fair number of hands without showdown by shutting down action on flop or turn. hes getting a ton of credit from the table. Over the last 2-3 hours at this table he has 3 bet me 8 times. I suspect he has some bluffs in here but havent seen any hands to confirm. He may just be running hot.

Hero button KQ raises to $15. SB folds. Vil in BB min raise to $30. Hero calls? - again i get 3 bet by Vil. not much else to do besides call here given the good price?
Pot $60.

Flop: K 7 4
Vil leads $30. Hero calls?

Pot $120.

Turn: Q - flush comes in.
Vil bets: $30. Hero raises to $125. Vil goes AI for $340. Hero calls.

Not much else to do besides this line?

Results:

Gg i always like your posts. I only agree some of the time with your lines but you more than amyone here knows your game, rarely deviates and never give your opponent an easy way to profit on you. While 99% of us may find it borig and nitty, Ilike you keep to your strategy and always give advice tthat has helped you profit.

Hand 1. 26 is 9x. I find a fold pre. So many reverse implied odds. Nice job finding the most important fold.

Hand 2. Nice job being aware of your image and capitalizing.

Hand 3 i probablt nit call down, but nice job gettin g max. Not sure best play long term

Yeah, everyone eventually has to find their own way with their own method. I find the LLSNL forum quite interesting now, in that there is a lot of solid posters who are no doubt all beating the game, and yet there is quite a wide range of opinions. It really just proves that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

I notice OP posted a hand there recently and I would encourage him to continue doing so, take in as much as he can, but then kinda do what works for *him*.

GcluelessNLnoobG

12.1 KQs

Yup, against a guy with most likely a face up tight range for a huge 9x for pretty large 8% of stacks, I'm mucking KQs preflop.

12.2 A5s

Even though I have ~5700 hours of 1/3 NL under my belt (and am extremely overrolled life-wise for this pittance of steak), I still am (and always have been) uncomfortable playing deep. It simply is what it is for me and I've come to terms with it. So I do my best to put myself in situations I'm comfortable in, which often means moving to smaller / less wild tables when I become deep (noting I start on a topped up shortstack of $200), and lately even sometimes cutting my planned session an hour short if conditions aren't stacking up in my favour. Just something to consider if you have the same issue.

Anyhoo, I would fold preflop on both actions, but that's me. My guess is that we're supposed to be targeting light 3betters with light 4bets, not tight ones. And yes, we can easily fold to a jam (ldo), but then we still punted $120 to the tight guy at the table.

12.3

Think I'm ok with preflop due to being in position. Fine with flop. Turn even though we're facing a small bet I think we're still overplaying by raising (IMO). And facing the jam really sucks, where I would mostly expect to never be good at this point (mostly expecting to be up against big sets or the flush) and lol at results (this guy would be the worst player in my room, who the hell 3bet jams black AA on this nut low turn card?).

GcluelessNLnoobG

Ya Im leading for value after checking that flop. You are good well more than 50% of the time you get called after it goes check check. And he may check all kinds of hands on the turn he would call with. I think 1/2 pot is good. Any more and you set yourself up to fold out everything but his top pair hands at most tables

Session 13. 1/3 NL

Again wild and swingy session. Lots of big pots and lots of bluffing. I am not used to a table where people make big bluffs for stacks. I had a hard time adjusting and did not catch on soon enough. I got bluffed twice for large pots where If i would have taken more time and thought about it I could/ should have found a call. I feel played too timid and folded too easy.

It was challenging to set a plan for a hand when the game was so loose it was hard to put someone on a hard. My plan was basically make a hand and bet for value. I didn’t pick up many pots looking for bet/folds or check / folds to take advantage of due to the multiway nature of pots. I had good starting hards, Queens twice, Kings 4 times and Aces 2x in 9 hours. Above average. Ran into terrible run outs and lost almost all of these hands. I dropped less than buy in today, going to get them next time!

Some hands:

Hand 1:

Newer middle aged guy sits down. Never played with him before. $300 Effective.

He opens button to $10. Hero 3 bets KK to $40. He calls.

Pot $81

Flop A T 5

Hero continues $40. Vil calls.

Pot $161

Turn 8. Hero checks. Vil bets $100. Hero folds. Too nitty? Readless I tend to do 1 and done with under pairs on Axx. Feels weird not to C bet here. Check / call flop?




Hand 2:
$300 with fun player $100 short stack. button is tight ABC. Fun player I want to target in BB giving lots of action. SB is short stack $100 MAWG no real reads.

Hero highjack A7 raise to $15 SB and BB call
Pot $45

Flop A K 7. CC Hero $25. Fun player calls.

Pot $95.

I hate this card. Going to be tough to get value now. He checks. I bet $65. Vil folds A2o face up.



Hand 3


VIl is a younger guy who has limped lots of hands in last half hour. I haven’t seen him raise at all. $300 Effective

Vil limps utg. Hero MP JJ raise to $15. big blind calls. limper calls.

Pot $45

Flop 8 6 3
two checks. Hero bets $30. Limper calls. Figured wide range here for limper. Lots of single pair hands, draws, hearts.

Pot $105

Turn:6
Vil checks. No reason to check here - hero bets $85. He calls.

Pot $275

River: 6 He checks again. Hero bets $75 and Vil calls.

Hand 1 i just check fold flop at least half the time. Check call is my second option reserved for players that cant resist betting any time checked to.

Hand 2 not sure what card came. If you hated it though, just check. Hes a fun player. Call him down when he starts firing with his ace. Fun players usually like to bet when checked to.

Hand 3. That flop is smacking his range. Flop bet vs a guy that wide is great., but i size down to $15 or $20 to keep all kinds of random crap in like Q10o. This guy likes to play hands. When the second 6 hits slow down. He has a ton of 6x in his range and he may also get scared you have a 6 and fold an 8 on the turn to any bet. You can get your second street of value on the river. Most Vs at this level dont know how to size bets. After an orbit you can usually tell if they have sizing tells, a lot of them do. I would take a small bet to mean hes got an 8 or straight draw or air. Big bet is player dependent, but more weighted towards 6x. Great river bet and sizing. after he checks this many times there is almost zero chance he has the case 6 and your hand is always good.

Hand for 13:2

Turn card was a Queen. Board was AKQ7. Another card for the opponent to get a larger two pair than me and the gutshot straight draw completed.

Ya not sure what hands he should continue with that dont beat you for that price. Unless you have been making moves previously most 1/2 players arent going to call two street with worst top pair if your turn is 2/3 pot. AJ maybe? A10 maybe? But does not seem great for even those hands either if I was the V.

Session 14. 8.25 hours. one buyin loss

Despite losing today, I thought I did a much better job today trying to hand read and fighting for pots. I threw in some check raises in spots where I would normally check fold by missing. I had some higher thinking players at my table who would bluff into any weakness at all. I need to develop these skills more for the future. I should have left a hour before I actually did. I was tired and not playing my A game. I believe I would have left up if I left when I first thought about leaving. I took a break, got some food, thought i should leave and came back and played to try and get some more hours in. Some hands below:


Hand 1: opponent in this hand is a middle aged male who thinks I am bullying the table. He is tired of my aggression and has made a few folds to my aggression already. He doesn’t know I haven’t been bullying as much as he thinks I am.

$300 Effective. 1/3 NL

Opponent in high jack bets $15. I don’t think this is super wide raise. top 30% of hands? broadway cards, 88+? button calls. Hero calls SB
J J. Big blind calls. 4 to flop.

pot $60. I strongly considered 3 bet here but I didn’t think i would get many folds here.

Flop: Q 8 3. all check.

Pot $60.

Turn: 7. Hero leads $30. Only high jack calls.

pot $120.

River: 4.

Hero checks. Vil bets $100.

Hero?:

Results:



Hand 2: Weird spot where I had some equity on turn but should still fold or bluff?

Vil is a guy who just sat down. Seems average but no hands yet. $300 effective

Hero mid position raise to $15 with 88. Vil calls in big blind.

Pot $31.

Flop A 7 6 Vil checks. Hero checks? I usually bet this once and then check or fold turns. But given i have some showdown equity and flush draw on board I don’t have as much fold equity as I would normally have.

Pot $31

Turn: 9. Vil leads $25. Hero? Turn open ended straight draw. I call? At the time I strongly considered raising here as a semi bluff.

Pot $81

River: 9. Flush comes in. Vil checks. hero checks?

Results:
Hand 3: $500 Effective 1/3 NL
Table is now loose. Lots of people drinking, rec players having fun.
Main opponent here is a older lady that is playing very loose pre flop and fairly straightforward post.
1 player limps. Hero K Q raise button to $20. SB calls Lady calls Big Blind.

Pot $63

Flop Q J 4
SB checks. Lady leads out $50. Hero calls? Fold? Sb folds.
pot: $160

Turn: 4. lady checks. Hero bets $80? Lady check raises Ai to $400. I fold. She shows KcKs. Should this be a check? What hands am I actually getting value from that a fun rec lady leads out big on flop? Not many.

I feel like this move has been happening alot to me when I am in position. Vil will check, hero will C bet and vil will call. Check turn and then C raise with an overpair - KK / AA. Happened 5 times this week against different opponents, all of them from older players.

You said you had higher level thinking players who would bluff into any weakness at all.
The higher than that level thinking player would be checking all his good hands vs these players and bluff with more of the bad ones. .


Hand 1. 3b. Check the turn too.
Hand 2. Turn fold. Thats a almost pot size bet and you are like 5 to 1 against making your hand. When the onliner does come in you rarely get paid.
Hand 3 Fold flop. If she is straightforward what does an old lady donk betting a psb on the flop mean? AK is the worst hand i would expect her to donk this much with

13.1 KK

I'd probably 3bet slightly larger preflop. And I'm a little old school WA/WB on this flop (mostly) and would check/evaluate (often check folding to ABC guys). Also check/folding turn as played.

13.2 A7dd

Have to be careful opening for too much too early with shortstacks involved, imo, so I would just open limp this if I think I can get away with that. SPR is 6 so in order to play for stacks (our goal) I think we have to bet a little more on the flop to make that easier on later streets. Against a fun player I'm not totally hating a Q, and again I'd probably bet just a smidge more to make a river shove easier. Dood isn't as much of a "fun" player as we might think if he's folding TP.

13.3 JJ

I think there are arguments for both betting and checking the turn. As played, we only have a 2/3 PSB left for the river so I probably just shove.

GcluelessNLnoobG

14.1 JJ

I'm either/or preflop, really depends on how wide we think he's opening, but I might lean to a 3bet preflop (although I don't think a flat is horrible). I also bet turn. I read spoiler, and I just think we have to check (to induce against busted hands) and call here.
I mean, he's never checking QQ+ on this drawy flop multiway, so he's just FOS a bunch.

14.2 88

Man your game plays so differently than mine with reasonable sized raises getting things HU in position. I think I would prefer a bet on the flop. We charge draws. Our hand could be good but is extremely vulnerable and we're going to hate most turn cards. Slight chance we actually get better to fold. I'd more check KK here. I'm ok with a turn call (could be good, have OESD, could perhaps rep backdoor flush). Think I just check back the river (we have showdown value, repping the flopped flush draw makes no sense).

14.3 KQhh

I probably nit fold the flop against an ABC old lady. I probably check back the turn and evaluate whether a river bet is in order if checked to again; obviously easy fold to the check/raise. Older players show up with preflop monsters in limped / non-3bet pots all the time, so just exit ASAP postflop as soon as ABC ones voluntarily drive the action.

GcluelessNLnoobG